1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a distance measurement and photometry device for measuring a distance to a measurement target as well as measuring the brightness of the measurement target, and to an imaging apparatus, such as a digital still camera or a digital video camera, including the distance measurement and photometry device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, in a digital still camera (hereinafter called a “digital camera”) and the like including external measurement type distance measurement device and photometry device, the distance measurement device and the photometry device are integrated into one unit for reduction in size of a camera main body and the like (see Japanese Patent No. 3958055, for example).
A distance measurement and photometry device shown in Japanese Patent No. 3958055 includes multiple pairs of distance measurement line sensors and multiple photometry sensors arranged between the multiple pairs of distance measurement line sensors, the distance measurement line sensors and the photometry sensors being arranged on a single chip.
However, since the distance measurement line sensors are arranged for the entire image plane in a digital camera including the conventional external measurement type distance measurement and photometry device, the digital camera can perform distance measurement only on three distance measurement regions, i.e., a central portion of the image plane and portions to the right and left of the central portion. This poses a problem that distance measurement cannot be performed on a main object accurately if the main object is located near an upper left portion of the image plane which is outside the distance measurement regions, for example. Further, regions in which photometry is performed by the photometry sensors are located near the three distance measurement regions. This poses another problem that photometry cannot be performed on a main object accurately if the main object is located near an upper left portion of the image plane which is outside the photometry regions, for example.